The best time
to visit Wilpattu.

Best time: February to August.

Weather: Hot 28–34°C; dry season concentrates wildlife around water bodies.

Wilpattu — "land of lakes" — is Sri Lanka's largest national park, a vast dry-zone wilderness of forest and natural water bodies in the north-west. Visitor numbers are a fraction of Yala's, which makes it the most considered choice for serious wildlife travellers, with both leopard and the elusive sloth bear.

• · Best months for wildlife are February to August.
• · Two nights minimum — sloth bears reward patience.
• · Pair with Anuradhapura for the cultural-and-wildlife combination.